Much of it can be made ahead, and then assembled when you are ready to serve.

Asian-Inspired Salad Dressing

The mayo-based salad dressing has Asian-inspired seasonings whisked in, like rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger. The result is a light dressing that flavors every bite of this crunchy salad.

Make it a Meal

This recipe is meant to be a side salad for a backyard potluck, but it can also work for a stand-alone lunch. Add some grilled chicken or salmon to make it a full meal.

Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.

43 Comments / Reviews

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Sharon

I took some liberties with the salad ingredients. I didn’t have snow peas so I substituted broccoli stems thinly sliced, added a thin sliced mini cucumber and grated some carrots into it. I made the dressing according to the recipe and in my opinion, the dressing is the star of this salad! Next time I’ll add some Chinese noodles for a little extra crunch.

Great recipe! No peas but I added carrot. Used honey in the dressing instead of sugar. Keeping the salad and dressing separate. Great for dinner last night! Awesome today for lunch with turkey and dried cranberries! Thank you for sharing!

This really is the perfect salad for a summer cookout or potluck. The Napa cabbage and peas stay firm, cool and crisp even through second helpings, and the radishes and green onions add a bit of a kick. The dressing is awesome. I served the cilantro on the side for non-fans. I’ll be taking it to a July 4 potluck. Thank you for your great recipes—yours is my go-to recipe site.

Enjoyed this very much! My grocery store did not have napa cabbage so I used Savoy and it worked just fine. I also forgot to get the green onions and I didn’t use as much mayo. I put in some slivered carrots as well. Very good. Will add some protein next time.

I have made this salad (slaw) dozens of times now and it is ALWAYS a hit at every gathering. The dressing is amazing and along with the variety of crisp fresh vegetables and crunchy nuts, it’s super satisfying. I eat low carb and this is in my circulation of monthly recipes. I often make a smaller portion using store-bought (yikes) slaw mix in place of the napa cabbage (a whole cabbage yields a ton!) and use it as the base of a bowl with stir-fried protein on top. Works great with Korean beef, teriyaki chicken, or garlic shrimp.

I LOVE THIS DRESSING! I made this salad to go with brisket last night and didn’t have peas so I used broccoli instead. The whole thing was DELISH especially the dressing. I will definitely make this again. Thanks Elise!

This has been our go-to summer salad recipe for years. It’s easy to riff on, leave things out your don’t have, add what you do. For anyone worried about sugar, we’ve made it with and without and it’s delicious either way.

Oh my gosh….this recipe is fantastic! Everything in it is healthy.. but I used artificial sugar instead of regular sugar. My whole family loves this dish. I love it too. It smells so good while making it…..yummy!

My husband is of Chinese descent and I love to cook Chinese food for him. I am of French descent and I grew up eating a salad at every dinner. This delicious salad is the perfect accompaniment to any Chinese meal, and it satisfies both my husband and me. Thank you for sharing this dish! I know it will be something I make over and over again!

Concerning above– romaine lettuce is completely unlike napa cabbage. I would never substitute romaine in most recipes for napa, although this one looks like romaine would do just fine.. it is just a salad after all. Don’t expect the same results though. I think thinly shredded bok choy would be a better substitute.

Just be sure to go easy on the sesame oil – I only like a few drops – it’s soooo strong. If you just add the ingredients to the amount of your taste buds versus measurements as written here I’m sure you’ll love it! I didn’t have any radishes so I used water chesnuts instead for the crunch. Water chesnuts may be a good sub for those who don’t like the “bite” of radishes.

Whoa! DELICIOUS! I love the dressing. My salad had all sorts of stuff in it, so not quite the same as yours…I didn’t have radishes or enough green onion. To add color I used red grapes, carrot, and red onion with the cabbage.

This salad rocked! I didn’t have raddishes so substituted red pepper. It was great. Kids even liked it. I also had savoy instead of napa. Loved the dressing, used it for a pasta dish the next night b/c the dressing made so much.

This is insanely delicious! I’m not a radish fan, normally, but we get a bunch of them from a CSA we belong to– usually at the same time that the peas are ready in my garden, and the CSA is also sending green onions and napa cabbage! It’s perfect timing and lets me use up all the things that are overflowing my fridge. I could eat the whole bowl by myself.

I just made this salad for a party over the weekend and everyone loved it, raved about it and asked to me make it again for the next gathering! I used soyanaise in place of the mayo and had to use salted/smoky almonds because it was all I had on hand. I tossed the salad with the nuts and dressing right before it was served, like you suggest and it was truly delicious. Thank yo so much Elise!

I have made this salad, but, I do not add the peas or the radishes. Also, the dressing that I use is 1/2 cup of oil, 2-3 tbsp. of white vinegar, 2 tsps. of sugar and the packet of powder from the Mr. Noodle Vegetable soup mix. This is all whisked together and before I pour it on I take the dried noodles from the package and crumble them on top of the salad along with the roasted almonds and the green onions. It is yummy and an alternative dressing for those who don’t like mayonaisse based dressings.

I went to a friend’s birthday party and she had this salad out – I HAD to get the recipe, it was so good, and all the comments about this salad were very positive. It’s refreshing, crunchy, and I’m not a fan of mayo either but the dressing was creamy without being overpowering and didn’t have that “yuck” factor. Very tasty. I’m substituting ponzu sauce for the soy, and adding some chicken to make it a light refreshing yet satisfying dinner. I’ll definitely be “borrowing” this recipe for MY next get-together! I’d suggest adding some red cabbage, maybe some red onion and shredded carrot for more color and sweet crunch. I think toasting the almonds gives a nice flavor, but not really necessary. Really worth the effort.